Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates in general to food storage containers for household use. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved food storage container having a lid which is secured to the base by vacuum, and which includes features for use in freezing temperatures and cooking temperatures.
Household food storage containers are widely known. These are typically formed of a resilient plastic, and include a base which holds a quantity of food, and a lid which closes the base. The degree of seal provided between the base and lid is important, as a stronger seal prevents contamination and increases storage life. A good seal, together with a resilient lid or base, will also permit a quantity of air to be expelled from the container during sealing, thus creating a reduced pressure within the container. This also serves to improve storage life for many types of food. The best seals have typically been provided by interlocking rib and groove arrangements.
While a rib and groove provide a good seal, they are often difficult to open and close. To overcome this problem, some containers have attempted to retain the lid simply by the reduced pressure within the container. Specifically, in one known container, the base is formed with an upper rim. The lid is formed of a slightly resilient material, and includes a gasket of highly elastic material, such as silicone. Placing the lid on the base brings the gasket into contact with the rim of the base, providing a seal. A one-way valve in the lid permits air to escape when manual pressure is applied to deform the lid inward. This creates a reduced pressure in the container, which serves to retain the lid in position.
While this container is fine in theory, in practice the seal is not sufficient to maintain the reduced pressure. As such, over a relatively short period of time the reduced pressure is gone, and the lid is simply resting upon the base without any true seal. This is especially true when the container is subjected to freezing temperatures. This lack of a seal reduces storage life for the food.
An object of the present invention is to provide a food storage container having a strong seal, and maintaining reduced pressure.
Another object of the present invention is to retain the lid upon the container with this reduced pressure to the extent possible.
Yet another object of the invention is to mechanically retain the lid in position during freezing temperatures.
A further object of the invention is to provide a seal which does not operate during serving, to ease removal of the lid.
These and other objects are achieved by a food storage container having a base and lid. The base has a sealing flange, and the lid has a sealing lip which seals against the sealing flange as with a suction cup. The lid may include resilient deformable sections to aid in maintaining reduced pressure within the container. The lid may include latch prongs to mechanically retain the lid in position. The latch prongs may be designed to automatically release during heating of the food, permitting venting. The sealing lip may include seal spacers which permit air to enter the food storage container during serving of hot food to avoid creation of reduced pressure in the container. The seal spacers do not interfere with normal creation of a seal when desired.